It's been crazy here, i'm trying and trying and definitely going to pass my damn driving test. Even if it kills me. Which it might just. Anyway, new chapter here, it's yet more action for those of you, I know, who love it. A little implied romance at the end if you choose to read it that way, i like to keep it open. It's not with Madeline, you may be glad to hear. That bitch is going down.

My warmest thanks to Keep Me In The Shadows (can you tell me what catagory your vamp story is under, i'm curious now, and thank you thank you thank you. peace.), Lucia (i freaking hate Madeline) and Grand Master D (never previously thought about a sequel but i am now, damn you with your ideas...). Anyone else out there reading this, drop me a line and let me know what you think even if what you think is "cram it, Skaye, it's getting old."

Here's the chapter, hope you enjoy it, Skaye.

The black-clad vampires pressed in again, this time almost three times as many, around Dante and Lucia who stood back to back drawing their weapons and sizing up the situation.

"I'll take care of them, you go for Madeline," Dante ordered under his breath.

"No, I'll fight them with you then we'll both destroy Madeline together." Lucia replied taking a first swift slice at a leering courtier in a thick black cloak that got too close.

"I hate it when you question my strategy right before we fight, you know that?" Dante said bringing his sword back around from a wide arch to take the heads off two who had come at him. Lucia smiled as she plunged one knife then the other into a vampire who'd fastened itself to her neck.

"I thought that was what caused most of our fights in the first place."

Dante grinned cleaving another attacker clean in two, blood sailing in a thick shower over his head and face;

"I hate you enough already, youfreaky bitch of the Vie De Marli demonic caretakers associassion, don't make it worse."

Surprisingly Lucia caught his ironic tone and didn't take offence, she even replied inkind as she whirled like a dancer and sliced a blonde attacker from shoulder to shoulder;

"I despise you equally, you casse-cou son of an archane demon meat-head. You can't even kill a megalomaniac corporatepsychopath properly."

Dante couldn't reply as a crowd of vampires temporarily overwhelmed him and tore him from Lucia's side.

All he saw for several minutes was whipping black garments of velvet, silk and brocade, white skin with great red mouths and blood over everything. Their nails and teeth drew lines of intense pain over every inch of his exposed flesh. He roared and raged at them, bones broke and skin tore under the blade of his sword. Blood erupted over all obscuring his vision completely but still he hacked on, ears full of shreiks of pain and fury and the rushing clang and strike of the heavy metal blade.

They fought fiercely and killed more than half the vampires present before Madeline got bored and a little anxious that her troops wouldn't be able to withstand the attack and descended into the fray herself. ShesnatchedDante by the arm and flung himat the far wall of the ball roomthen followed him. There she hauled him to his feet and began to tear madly at his face again screeching like a cat. He wasslightly scared for a moment then just pissed off. He struggled to draw his sword and slashed at her, cutting her right hand clean off. She screamed piercingly and the noise drew Lucia's attention. She took a short run and double jumped over the heads of her attackers to reach Dante's side just in time to drag him out from in front of Madeline before she descended upon him with furious blows. Madeline yelled and sobbed furiously and it took Dante and Lucia all their strength to keep the raving demon girl from tearing them limb from limb.

They split in front of her, Dante hammering away at her right side with great blows from his sword while Lucia swiped and sliced in frenzy at her left. Madeline screamed and called to her court to come to her aid. Dante caught a brief glimpse over their heads as he pivoted at Genevieve standing helpless and desolate on the dais looking very like a nervous bride in her white dress.

Then the vampires crowded in behind them eager to help their Lady in her destruction of the pair. Lucia and Dante met eyes desperately as they moved to their last-stand back-to-back formation. The look said they wouldn't last long and they knew it. There was no time for words but something passed between them in that desperate second that was sweeter by far than any last goodbye. A bolt of meaning and feeling flashed between two pairs of blue eyes. Then the crowd descended and Lucia was facing them on one side, Dante fending off an enraged Madeline on the other.

It was hopeless, within a few minutes they were overwhelmed and the last thing Dante heard clearly was a choked sob of pain from Lucia along with a sound that reminded him horribly of a great hammer hitting a raw joint of meat from a great height. Then there was a lot of pain. Pain like he'd seldom felt in all his long time as a demon hunter mercenary.

He dropped to the floor hearing a lunatic triumphant laugh spill from Madeline. The vampires backed off and he saw swimming red light everywhere. There was so much pain. He couldn't breathe and he could hear his heartbeat echoing sluggishly in his ears growing louder as the pressure in his head increased. From outside the swirling torrents of pain and darkness, he could hear faintly two female voices yelling at each other. He heard a scream of pain and rage followed by more yelling, another more strangled scream and he felt a warm spatter of blood hit his face.

"Genevieve?" he thought faintly before the red and darkness won out and the pain gave way to sweet oblivion.

P.S. I have updated my author profile so you all can know exactly who you're reading if you care to. Thanks, Skaye.